Milk-based powder for pets

ABSTRACT

A pet milk powder which, when reconstituted and fed to a pet as a nutritional milk, results in reduced gastrointestinal intolerance. This powder is a cow&#39;s milk powder that contains lactose and to which is added a lactase, preferably one that is active under acidic conditions, such as a β-galactosidase.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of the U.S. national phasedesignation of International application PCT/EP99/06621, filed Sep. 7,1999, the content of which is expressly incorporated herein by referencethereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention relates to a milk-based powder that may bereconstituted to provide a milk-based nutritional composition for petsand especially for young pets.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Many pet owners, especially owners of young pets, feed cow's milkor cow's milk based compositions to their pets since cow's milk is anexcellent source of nutrition. Further, in cases where very young petsare unable to obtain milk from their mothers, cow's milk or compositionsbased upon cow's milk may be the only source of nutrition for the younganimal.

[0004] Unfortunately, the feeding of cow's milk to pet mammals mayresult in gastrointestinal intolerance. This manifests itself in avariety of intestinal symptoms which include bloating, distension,cramp, flatulence, lower faecal consistency and, in severe cases,diarrhoea. Lower faecal consistency and diarrhoea are particularly wellknown symptoms (Mundt, H-C. and Meyer, H.; 1989, Waltham Symposium 7:Nutrition of the Dog and Cat, Cambridge University Press, pages267-274). The cause of the gastrointestinal intolerance is attributed tothe lactose in cow's milk.

[0005] Removal of lactose from cow's milk for human applications is wellknown. This is usually done by micro- or ultra-filtration or enzymatictreatment, or both, of liquid milk or whey solutions. Further, milk orwhey powders which are low in lactose, or lactose free, are commerciallyavailable and may be fed to pets, but these powders are generally tooexpensive for commercial use in pet products. For pets, a possiblesolution to the problem is described in European patent application0259713. Here the lactose in the composition is reduced by reducing thecontent of milk powder in the composition to below about 60% by weight.In order to make up for the reduction in protein, lactose-reduced orlactose-free milk proteins are then added to the composition. In thisway, the lactose content of the composition may be reduced to belowabout 30% by weight, but this requires the addition of large amounts oflactose-reduced or lactose-free milk proteins which increases the cost.

[0006] Mundt and Meyer (supra) suggest that another solution to thisproblem is to hydrolyze the lactose using enzymes prior to producing thepet milk powder. This is an acceptable solution when milk is freely andinexpensively available in liquid form, but it is not a feasiblesolution when the milk ingredient is available in powdered form; whichis commonly the case.

[0007] Therefore there is still a need for a cow's milk-based powderwhich may be reconstituted to provide a milk-based nutritionalcomposition, which is relatively simple to prepare and relativelyinexpensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a pet milkpowder comprising a cow's milk powder which contains lactose, and alactase.

[0009] It is surprisingly found that the simple addition of lactase tomilk powder is able to avoid or significantly reduce thegastrointestinal problems associated with the consumption of lactose.This is despite the fact that the milk composition produced byreconstituting the milk powder may be consumed immediately afterreconstitution; that is before the lactase has had the time to degradethe lactose in the milk powder.

[0010] Preferably, the lactase is a β-galactosidase; more preferably onefrom micro-organism origin. A β-galactosidase which is active at anacidic pH is particularly preferred.

[0011] The milk powder may further comprise one or more of a lipidsource, protein source, vitamins and minerals.

[0012] In another aspect, this invention provides a milk powder forcats, the powder comprising a cow's milk powder which contains lactose,a lactase, taurine, arginine and choline.

[0013] In a yet further aspect, this invention provides a milk powderfor dogs, the powder comprising a cow's milk powder which containslactose, a lactase, and choline.

[0014] In a further aspect, this invention provides a method forreducing the symptoms of gastrointestinal intolerance in a mammalian petafter consumption of a nutritional composition based on cow's milk, themethod comprising administering to the pet an effective amount of alactase in combination with the nutritional composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the invention are now described by wayof example only.

[0016] The invention concerns a milk-based powder which may bereconstituted with water to provide a nutritional milk for pets whichhas reduced gastrointestinal intolerance.

[0017] The milk-based powder contains cow's milk powder and a lactase.The cow's milk powder may be any suitable milk powder which is basedupon cow's milk; for example skimmed milk powder and whole milk powder.Further, milk powders produced from standardized milk-based solutionsmay be used. If desired, the cow's milk powder may contain additivessuch as vitamins, minerals, protein, lipids, and the like. The lactosecontent of the milk powder is not critical to the invention. Of course,if cow's milk powders having low lactose contents are readily andinexpensively available, they may be advantageously used.

[0018] The lactase may be any suitable lactase which is generallyrecognized as safe. β-galactosidases are preferred; especiallyβ-galactosidases of microbial origin. Since conditions in thegastrointestinal tract are acidic, a lactase which remains active underacidic conditions is preferred. It is also possible to use lactaseswhich are active under neutral or basic conditions. In these cases,however, it may be useful to include an alkali in the milk-based powderwhich slows the pH drop in the gastrointestinal tract.

[0019] An enzyme which is particularly suitable is a β-galactosidasewhich may be obtained from Amano Enzyme USA Co Ltd of Lombard, Ill.,USA. The enzyme is available under the name “Lactase Amano”. The enzymeis obtained from Aspergillus oryzae and has an optimum pH of about 4.8when lactose is the substrate. The enzyme has an activity of more than50000 units/g at optimum pH. The enzyme is generally recognized as safeand is food grade.

[0020] The amount of the lactase to be added will depend upon variousfactors such as the lactose content of the cow's milk powder and theactivity of the enzyme. The useful amount may be readily determined by askilled person. Ordinarily, the lactase may be added to provide about 25UI100 g to about 200 UI/100 g powder; for example about 50 UI/100 g toabout 125 UI/100 g powder. The unit, UI, indicates the amount of enzymewhich produces 1 micromole of o-Nitrophenol per minute at 30° C. when3.0 ml of a solution which contains 200 mg ofο-Nitrophenol-β-galactopyranoside per 100 ml of 0.1 M Mcllvaine buffer,pH 4.5; is added to 1.0 ml of diluted enzyme solution. The reaction isstopped after 10 minutes.

[0021] For an enzyme which has an activity of about 50 UI/100 g to about125 UI/100 g powder, the lactase may comprise about 0.05% to about 0.4%by weight of the milk-based powder; and preferable from about 0.15% toabout 0.25% by weight.

[0022] If it is desired to make the milk-based powder more nutritionallycomplete, other nutritional components may be added to the powder. Forexample, a lipid source may be added to the milk-based powder. Anysuitable lipid source may be used; for example vegetable oils such assoybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, andrapeseed oil, or animal fats such as milk fats and tallow. In general,the lipid source used will be selected on the basis of nutritionalvalue, cost and palatability considerations.

[0023] It is also possible to add further protein and amino acidssources. For example, whey protein powders may be added to themilk-based powder. Similarly, the milk-based powder may be supplementedwith free amino acids which are required by the mammal for completenutrition. For example, for milk-based powder intended for kittens, thepowder may be supplemented with taurine or arginine, or both.

[0024] The milk-based powder may also contain vitamins and minerals. Itis particularly preferred to include a source of calcium; for exampledicalcium phosphate.

[0025] The milk-based powder may also include a probioticmicro-organism. A probiotic micro-organism is a micro-organism whichbeneficially affects a host by improving its intestinal microbialbalance (Fuller, R; 1989; J. Applied Bacteriology, 66: 365-378). Ingeneral, probiotic micro-organisms produce organic acids such as lacticacid and acetic acid which inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.Examples of suitable probiotic micro-organisms include yeasts such asSaccharomyces, Debaromyces, Candida, Pichia and Torulopsis, moulds suchas Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Mucor, and Penicillium and Torulopsis andbacteria such as the genera Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium,Fusobacterium, Melissococcus, Propionibacterium, Streptococcus,Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Staphylococcus, Peptostrepococcus, Bacillus,Pediococcus, Micrococcus, Leuconostoc, Weissella, Aerococcus, Oenococcusand Lactobacillus. Specific examples of suitable probioticmicro-organisms are: Saccharomyces cereviseae, Bacillus coagulans,Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis, Bifidobacterium bifidum,Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecium,Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillusalimentarius, Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei, Lactobacillus caseiShirota, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus delbruckii subsp. lactis,Lactobacillus farciminus, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillushelveticus, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus reuteri,Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lactobacillus GG), Lactobacillus sake,Lactococcus lactis, Micrococcus varians, Pediococcus acidilactici,Pediococcus pentosaceus, Pediococcus acidilactici, Pediococcushalophilus, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus thermophilus,Staphylococcus carnosus, and Staphylococcus xylosus. The probioticmicro-organisms are preferably in powdered, dried form; especially inspore form for micro-organisms which form spores. Further, if desired,the probiotic micro-organism may be encapsulated to further increase theprobability of survival; for example in a sugar matrix, fat matrix orpolysaccharide matrix.

[0026] Further, the milk-based powder may also include a source of afermentable soluble fibre, for example, chicory fibres, inulin,fructooligosaccharides, and the like. Preferably the fermentable solublefibre selected is a substrate for the probiotic micro-organism selected,or such that the fermentable soluble fibre and probiotic micro-organismform a symbiotic relationship for promoting beneficial effects.

[0027] It is of course possible that vitamins, minerals, amino acids anda lipid source may have been used in the preparation of the cow's milkpowder. In this case, less or none of these ingredients need be added.

[0028] The milk-based powder may be manufactured by dry mixing the cow'smilk powder, the lactase, and any other ingredients. If a lipid sourceis added, it is preferably mixed in last. Any suitable mixing apparatusmay be used. The milk-based powder is then packed into suitablepackages.

[0029] The amount of the nutritional composition to be fed to a mammaleach day will depend upon factors such as the mammal's age, the type ofmammal, and other sources of nutrition. In general, the nutritionalcomposition may be used in much the same way and in the same amounts asmilk is used. For example, for medium and large dogs, up to about 250 mlof the nutritional composition per day may be fed to the dog. Forsmaller dogs, up to about 125 ml of the nutritional composition per daymay be fed to the dog. Similar values may be readily determined for catsand other mammals.

EXAMPLES

[0030] By way of illustration, specific examples of the invention arenow described.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] A milk-based powder for dogs is prepared by dry mixing togetherwhole milk powder, β-galactosidase (“Lactase Amano”), vitamins, mineralsand soybean oil. The composition of the powder is as follows: IngredientPercent by Weight Milk powder 96.2 Soybean oil 1.7 Dicalcium phosphate1.1 Choline 0.4 β-galactosidase 0.2 Vitamins, Minerals 0.4

[0033] The milk-based powder has a lactose content of about 33% byweight. The milk powder is added to tap water and is rapidlyreconstituted to provide a milk-based nutritional composition. Thenutritional composition is highly palatable to puppies and dogs.

[0034] Example 2

[0035] A milk-based powder for cats is prepared by dry mixing togetherwhole milk powder, β-galactosidase, arginine, taurine, vitamins,minerals and soybean oil. The composition of the powder is as follows:Ingredient Percent by Weight Milk powder 97.1 Dicalcium phosphate 1.5Choline 0.4 Arginine 0.4 β-galactosidase 0.2 Soybean oil 0.05 Vitamins,Minerals 0.35

[0036] The milk-based powder has a lactose content of about 33% byweight. The milk powder is added to tap water and is rapidlyreconstituted to provide a milk-based nutritional composition. Thenutritional composition is highly palatable to kittens and cats.

[0037] Example 3

[0038] Seven beagle dogs 5 to 12 years are used in a trial. Each dog isseparately housed in a cage. The dogs have access to a dry diet adlibitum.

[0039] In the first part of the trial, the dogs are fed a milkreconstituted from a full fat milk powder for a period of 7 days. Themilk contains vitamins and minerals. The milk is reconstitutedimmediately before serving by adding cold tap water to the fill fat milkpowder. Food consumption, liquid consumption and faecal consistency aremonitored.

[0040] In the second part of the trial, the dogs are fed a nutritioncomposition reconstituted from the milk-based powder of example 1 for aperiod of 7 days. The nutrition composition is reconstituted immediatelybefore serving by adding cold tap water to the milk-based powder. Foodconsumption, liquid consumption and faecal consistency are monitored.

[0041] In both parts of the trial, each dog is fed 900 g per day of themilk or nutritional composition. The milk or nutritional composition isavailable from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is the only liquid source duringthis period. In general, the entire amount of liquid is consumedrapidly. From 3 p.m. to 9 a.m., the dogs have free access to water.Percentage of stool having Percentage of stools being Food loose stoolconsistency diarrhoeic Milk 36 19 nutritional 12  7 composition ofexample 1

[0042] The nutritional composition offers a significant improvement evenat this high level of consumption.

[0043] Example 4

[0044] Seven cats aged 5 to 12 years are used in a trial. Each cat isseparately housed in a cage. The cats have access to a fish-based drydiet ad libitum.

[0045] In the first part of the trial, the cats are fed a milkreconstituted from a full fat milk powder for a period of 7 days. Themilk contains vitamins and minerals. The milk is reconstitutedimmediately before serving by adding cold tap water to the full fat milkpowder. Food consumption, liquid consumption and faecal consistency aremonitored.

[0046] In the second part of the trial, the cats are fed a nutritioncomposition reconstituted from the milk-based powder of example 2 for aperiod of 7 days. The nutrition composition is reconstituted immediatelybefore serving by adding cold tap water to the milk-based powder. Foodconsumption, liquid consumption and faecal consistency are monitored.

[0047] In both parts of the trial, each cat is presented with 180 g perday of the milk or nutritional composition. The milk or nutritionalcomposition is available from 3:00 p.m. to 9 a.m. and is the only liquidsource during this period. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the cats have freeaccess to water. Percentage of stool having Percentage of stools beingFood loose stool consistency diarrhoeic Milk 42 37 nutritional 20  0composition of example 2

[0048] The nutritional composition offers a very significantimprovement. No significant change in consumption between the milk andnutritional composition is noticed. Hence palatability is unaffected bythe addition of the enzyme.

[0049] Example 5

[0050] A milk-based powder is prepared using a β-galactosidase enzymeobtained from Novo Nordisk A/S of Bagsvaerd, Denmark and sold under thename Lactozym. The powder is substantially identical to the powder ofexample 1 except that this different enzyme is used. The enzyme isoptimally active under basic conditions.

[0051] When fed to beagle dogs, the milk-based powder has substantiallythe same properties as the powder of example 1.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pet milk powder comprising a cow's milk powderwhich contains lactose, and a lactase in an amount sufficient to reducesymptoms of gastrointestinal intolerance resulting from ingestion of thecow's milk powder.
 2. A pet milk powder according to claim 1 in whichthe lactase is one that has optimum activity under acidic conditions. 3.A pet milk powder according to claim 1 in which the lactase is aβ-galactosidase.
 4. A pet milk powder according to claim 3 in which theβ-galactosidase is of microbial origin.
 5. A pet milk powder accordingto claim 1 in which the lactase is present in an amount of between 0.05to 0.4% by weight of the powder.
 6. A pet milk powder according to claim1 in which the lactase provides about 75 UI/100 g to about 125 UI/100 gof powder.
 7. A pet milk powder according to claim 1 which furthercomprises at least one of a lipid source, a protein source, one or morevitamins or one or more minerals.
 8. A pet milk powder according toclaim 1 which further comprises a calcium source.
 9. A pet milk powderaccording to claim 1 and specifically formulated for cats, the powdercontaining taurine and choline.
 10. A pet milk powder according to claim1 and specifically formulated for dogs, the powder containing choline.11. A method for reducing the symptoms of gastrointestinal intolerancein pets who ingest a reconstituted pet milk powder comprising a cow'smilk powder containing lactose, which method comprises administering tothe pet a lactase in an amount sufficient to reduce symptoms ofgastrointestinal intolerance in the pet.
 12. The method according toclaim 11 in which the lactase is present in the pet milk powder in anamount of between about 0.05 to 0.4% by weight of the powder.
 13. Themethod according to claim 11 in which the lactase is one that hasoptimum activity under acidic conditions.
 14. The method according toclaim 11 in which the lactase is a β-galactosidase.